Across the four days of the third Ashes Test, Ben Stokes endured physical pain and crippling pressure without taking a backwards step, but the stress of watching his side’s torturous run chase proved too much even for him. England eventually beat Australia by three wickets to keep the series alive, though their captain entirely missed seeing Chris Woakes score the winning runs while he engaged in furious stress-marching around the dressing room.
“I’m not going to lie, I was a bit nervous at the end,” Stokes said. “I walked about two kilometres around the Headingley dressing room in the last half-hour. I didn’t actually watch the last 20 runs being scored. It’s completely different when you can’t do anything, you can’t influence the game any more, and you’re left watching and hoping things are going to go your way.”
Though their performance brought a vital victory, England will not struggle to identify room for improvement when they reconvene in Manchester on Wednesday week, now 2-1 down and hoping to level the series.
“I still think we can be better,” Stokes said.“The thing about cricket is no one ever has the perfect answer for how it should be played. We can be better in certain areas and that’s all we can do. People always seem to have the answers after the fact but I don’t think anyone will ever crack it – that’s why it’s such a great game.”
After scoring 155 in England’s unsuccessful run chase at Lord’s last Sunday and 80 in the first innings here, Stokes’s contribution to the team’s efforts on this occasion was limited to 13. Instead Harry Brook shouldered the burden of hauling the team towards its target, scoring 75 before falling with victory 21 runs away.
The 24-year-old was furious after top-edging a Mitchell Starc short ball with the finish line in sight, saying: “I’m not one to blow up in the changing room but I had a little blow-up today. I like getting us over the line and it was annoying that I didn’t.” But his captain was anything but upset with his performance.
Stokes said: “The way Brooky controlled the game from ball one with the bat was amazing. He went out there and put the pressure straight back on them. The way he played with Woakesy in that partnership was high class. For such a young lad in a high‑pressure situation in the Ashes, it was incredible. We’ve all seen what he can do with the bat, he’s an incredibly gifted player and he’s only going to get better the more pressure situations he’s put in.”
After failing in the first innings when coming in at No 3, Brook returned to his more familiar No 5 to spectacular effect, as a result of Moeen Ali volunteering to move up the order. Moeen lasted only 15 balls but successfully protected Brook from the havoc Pat Cummins and Starc created with the new ball.
“He came to Baz [the head coach, Brendon McCullum] and said: ‘I want to go in at three, I want to take the Aussies on in this run chase’ – basically, let me out there,” Stokes said of Moeen. “We thought it was a real good move for us, and I just loved the fact that Mo is willing to put himself in those situations, that he wants to get out there and help the team in a positive way.
“When I took on the role I asked for 10 other selfless cricketers, and that little moment of Mo going to Baz and saying: ‘I want the opportunity,’ is everything we’re about as a team.”
England were eventually guided to victory by Woakes, who finished with 32, and Mark Wood, who added a wild eight-ball 16 to the wild eight-ball 24 he scored in the first innings. Both had already made a big impact on their first appearances of the series, Woakes taking six wickets while Wood took seven and was named man of the match.
“He just loves playing cricket,” Stokes said of Wood. “Whenever he has the ball in his hand he will give everything he can; whether he’s fresh, tired, coming back for a fourth spell of the day, he will just keep running in. Even with the bat, he is willing to take it on.
“Having players like that is great, not only for me but for the team. He brings energy, excitement. He has a very special gift and talent.”
